Finding Warmth in a Frozen Land
by night-rainbow27
Summary: Story #6a. Luna gets sent on a mission with Kurama. One-shot.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Yu Yu Hakusho characters, just mine and the plot.

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Luna's POV

We were in a dark, cold place. That's as best as I can describe it. It sounds very poetic, I know, but that's where we were.

Ice World. Land of the frozen and frozen-hearted. I suddenly remembered that somebody once told me to go to such a place. I chuckled silently and saw small, white puffs of condensate air float briefly in front of my face before they mingled with the general atmosphere.

Why did they send me here, and with the fox boy particularly? Hiei could've been more useful. He could've conjured a fire.

I looked at Kurama from the corner of my eye and I studied him closely, as I did many times after Iris told me how she felt about him. She was silent right now, probably doing the same thing. I didn't interrupt her reverie.

A gust of chilling wind came out of nowhere and knocked the breath out of me along with my trail of thought. This outfit was _not_ good for this kind of weather, regardless of how much I like the cold. They should've given me back-up clothes. I shivered absent-mindedly and blew hot air into my pals and then rubbed them together, trying to warm myself up.

"Are you cold?" Kurama's voice was almost a whisper, as if not to disturb the scenery.

_That's a stupid question_, I thought. Isn't it obvious? But even so, I didn't want to make myself seem weak. I stopped rubbing my hand and straighten up to my full height. "No," I said, defiantly.

He smiles his half smile that I came to know so well. It was the smile that could say many things, and one of them was "you don't have to fight alone." I understood what he meant, but I didn't return his smile. He turned his head away from me and I could see his red locks dangling form side to side in a motion that I understood he was shaking his head.

When he turned back around, he stepped closer and before I could realize what he was doing, he gently took my hands in his warm ones and held them there. I heard Iris gasp in my head at the feel of his touch, knowing she felt what I feel, if not more intense.

His emerald-green eyes weren't helping either, so I had to look away.

My cheeks burned more at the surprise than his actual gesture and I assumed that by now my eyes were already pink and the flash tattoos were roaming on the side of my face. I couldn't feel them moving, but at this particular moment it was almost as if I could.

I tried hard to control my emotions, and in due time I could feel my temperature lower to how it was before.

_You know why he's doing this, right?_ I asked Iris, who was still dumbfounded.

She snapped out of her reverie, and, as if she was pointing out something really obvious, she said, _Because he's a gentleman maybe?_

_That too, but it's not the only reason_, I said.

_What other reason is there? _She asked and I saw her analyzing the situation. I shook my her at her obliviousness.

_That he knows that you can feel and see and hear everything I do, even if you're not physically present, _I said and hoped that would be enough. _I'm not saying that he wouldn't have done what he did, _I added quickly,_ but the fact that you're here is a big bonus._

Although this was Iris and I knew her as well as the back of my hand, I still didn't feel comfortable being a relationship counselor. Thankfully, she understood where I was going. _Isn't that a bit far-fetched?_ she asked in her usual doubt, but I could feel her being hopeful. Sometimes I really believed she forgets that I have four hundred years' worth of experience with people.

When I faced those green eyes again, Kurama looked at me questioningly, as if trying to read our conversation through my eyes. My kept my face expressionless.

"I think I am warm enough now, thanks," I said in a rather dismissive tone, and I hoped he understood that beneath it all I meant to say 'thank you.'

He looked like he knew too much; like he thought he knew me only too well and that bothered, knowing he barely knew me.

"Let's get going," I said, and started walking ahead as I battled with the blizzard before he could answer.


End file.
